Conservative MP Ted Falk accused the Liberals of being a “government of inaction” in addressing illegal border crossings.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

An asylum claimant carries his daughter across the border into Canada from the United States past an RCMP officer, Tuesday, March 28, 2017 near Hemmingford, Que.

By:StaffThe Canadian Press Published on

WINNIPEG — A Tory member of Parliament from Manitoba is calling on Ottawa to be more transparent about asylum seekers.

Ted Falk told radio station CJOB the federal government’s website has no information on how many people tried to get to Canada from the United States in March.

“January and February, we were getting updates from the RCMP and (Canada Border Services Agency),” Falk said Monday. “We’ve been making the same inquiries from the same individuals, and they tell us that Ottawa has gagged them and that they are unable to provide us that information.”

Falk said he believes the number of illegal border crossers is rising, and said he’s seen it first-hand.

“I came through the border two weeks ago on a Saturday night, and there were more than a dozen individuals at the Emerson port of entry, just waiting to be processed. And this was on a Saturday night. We know the numbers are increasing, and that’s something that they don’t want Canadians to know.”

Falk accused the Liberals of being a “government of inaction” in dealing with the situation.

The federal government has a website tracking statistics on asylum claims and interceptions of asylum seekers between ports of entry, but it only has figures for the first two months of this year.

According to the website, RCMP interceptions have been the highest in Quebec, with 677 people intercepted. There were 291 in British Columbia and 161 in Manitoba.